Daniel Trent Faro pleads guilty to choking his pregnant partner

A man with a history of violence has been blasted for lashing out against his pregnant girlfriend while he was so drunk he could not tell she was unable to breathe.

Daniel Trent Faro pleaded guilty to one count of choking after he put his pregnant partner in a chokehold during an argument.

A man with a history of violence has been blasted for putting his pregnant partner in a chokehold during an argument while he was so drunk he could not tell she was unable to breathe.

Mackay District Court heard the pair had only been together about few months and the victim was 13 weeks pregnant with her attacker’s child when the violence unfolded in August 2023.

Daniel Trent Faro was drunk – his blood alcohol reading when he was arrested was 0.285 – and the pair were arguing when he stood behind his partner and put his arm across her throat.

“In other words you put her in a chokehold and this cause her to be unable to breathe,” Judge John Coker said.

A friend of the victim tried to separate the pair and she was lifted off the ground – the woman told police she couldn’t breathe for about a minute.

The court heard Faro did not agree with this but Judge Coker said it was most likely he was too drunk to know what did and did not happen that day.

“You had consumed a huge amount of alcohol and that is, it would seem, a recurring theme in relation to much of the offending that has brought you before the court,” Judge Coker said.

“That’s neither here nor there in the scope of the determination of this matter because intoxication does not provide justification in relation to the offending and the actions that you perpetrated whilst intoxicated were dangerous in the extreme.”

Daniel Trent Faro pleaded guilty to one count of choking after he put his pregnant partner in a chokehold during an argument.

Judge John Coker said the injuries that flow from this type of offending “can be catastrophic”.

“They can be permanent and therefore there is a need for there to be a recognition of the seriousness of the offending,” he said.

Faro pleaded guilty to one count of choking and it was deemed to be a timely plea.

The court heard Faro, 30, had spent 463 days – about 15 months – in presentence custody.

Crown Prosecutor Monique Sheppard said Faro had a very relevant criminal history that included multiple entries for violence.

“Despite the time that has elapsed from the entries that then flow on his history, it is clear in the Crown submission that he shows a preparedness to act violently when there is that excessive consumption of alcohol,” Ms Sheppard said.

The court heard in 2017 Faro was given a wholly suspended jail sentence for assault occasioning bodily harm for headbutting someone at a New Year’s Eve party – he was also in court that same year for the drunken common assault on a bowls club manager.

In 2019 he was back in court for assault occasioning bodily harm for punching a stranger in the street.

Defence barrister Scott McLennan said his client’s father had been an alcoholic who had “excessively physically disciplined” his children including Faro.

A psychiatric report stated Faro began drinking alcohol at 11 years old and using marijuana at 13, the court heard.

As he got hold he also used other drugs and struggled with meth use.

The court heard he was taking steps towards his issue with alcohol and violence.

Faro was jailed for three years with immediate parole because of time already served.

A conviction is recorded.